Almazing KZ Blog

The Kazakh Culture Festival in Munich, Germany (Kishi Quriltay) was held between the 26-27 May this year. This festival is usually organised by the association of the Kazakh Diaspora, also called the “Kazakh-Turks”, of the city. Kazakhs came from all over Europe; Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Turkey and Switzerland. The festival was organised by the Kazakh Culture Association in Munich with help from the Kazakh Embassy in Berlin.



The opening speeches were held by the president of the Association, Abdulgani Guneri the Kazakh Ambassador to Germany, Kairat Sarybai and the Deputy Chairman of the World Kazakh Organization, Talgat Mamishev. The academician and former journalist of the Radio Liberty in Munich, Dr. Abdulkayyum Kesici held a speech on the history of the Kazakhs in Munich(Kz).



At the round table, in the evening of Saturday, issues such as the establishment of a Kazakh cultural centre in Germany, the education of the Kazakh Diaspora youngsters in Kazakhstan and the promotion of the Kazakh language and culture were discussed among representatives of the Kazakh Diaspora and the Kazakh delegation from Kazakhstan. Though there were plans for the students of the Kazakh Diaspora to discuss issues of education with the representatives of Kazakhstan, these were not fulfilled.

One aspect of the festival, which caused much controversy among the Kazakh people, was the fact that the Chinese consulate was also invited. Though they sponsored part of the festival, it was not found right that the people who once suppressed the Kazakhs in East Turkistan should have a special place in the coming together of the Kazakh Diaspora. During the opening speeches, the Chinese consulate wasn’t referred to by his name.

Furthermore, it was a shame, that although there were students studying in Germany from Kazakhstan, these and the youngsters of the Kazakh Diaspora community did not mix whatsoever. One could see that the difference in the values and upbringings of both groups are very different. The Kazakh Diaspora youngsters would speak Turkish among themselves and the Kazakhs from Kazakhstan would speak Russian. Now, I don’t want to blame anyone for this, because there is a significant difference in the way the youngsters were brought up, I daresay, the Kazakh Diaspora more conservative than the students from Kazakhstan, but what appalled me, was the fact that no one really attempted to “mix”. It will be interesting to see whether the youngsters will be able to get over their differences and find a common way in the near future, considering the fact that there are over 5 million Kazakhs abroad.

Summing up the festival, it was a culturally rich and interesting festival, in which the Kazakh Diaspora once again came together to dip into the warm feeling of the “Kazakh way of life” as Godfrey Lias once put it. The feeling of unity was enhanced among the rich offer of delicious Kazakh and Turkish specialities and the parties organised for the young ones in the evenings.

As being not indifferent to Hip Hop Culture, I was impressed by the point of view on it of the current USA President Barack Obama, who surprisingly listens to Rap, and knows what's going on in this music sphere, but as being president it is too difficult task to talk about it, Rap is actually spiced with four-letter words and it shows the street life with all of its belongings. It shows how USA President close to community is, and shows that he is peasant by birth.

Let's  start blogging after the long absence. Since November I work at Mitsubishi Co, in Astana Things are going well